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No one knows what they eat, but it seems to be something growing on the rocks. In most cases it takes at the very least 150# of well established LR to keep them fed. They also need a tank with a very stable salinity.

If you can meet those two demands, and you decide you want one try to get the LFS to hold one for a few weeks. They're often acclimated porrly somewhere along the chain of custody, and it takes a few weeks for the damage to manifest itself. You don't want to buy a dying star. If at the end of the holding period the star has any sort of sores, wounds, missing legs, or looks deflated or wrinkled, don't buy it. Once you git it, you want to acclimate it very slowly over the course of a few hours.

Oh yeah, and they are reef safe.

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Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle.

Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

The tank must be PRISTINE in parameters and the specific gravity should be 1.025-1.026. It should be a mature reef tank. The key with the LR is not the actual density, but the amount of available surface area, which is why I tie both the amount of LR and the tank size together. Ideally, it would be a larger tank so that the rock could be spread out more. Closely packed LR may not be as beneficial to this star.

I wouldn't suggest any of the true starfish. Brittle and serpent stars are a good choice. They should be fed meaty foods occasionally though, and the rule about stability still applies. Just stay away from the green brittle star, Ophiarachna incrassata.

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Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle.

Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

What do you feed it? As a general rule, they will not take to spot feeding. Individuals may, or they may take to certain foods.

In addition, you have a tank that I think would be reasonably suitable (150 or so US gallons)

However, 4 months is not long enough to know how it is doing. 18 months is the critical period. They can be slowly starving the better part of a year without any signs of trouble, most unfortuntely.

The only Linckia type star that I would have fewer reservations about suggesting is the smaller Linckia multiflora. Acclimation, water quality, etc are still important, but this Linckia seems to do relatively better than nearly any other species.

Originally posted by ophiuroid In addition, you have a tank that I think would be reasonably suitable (150 or so US gallons)

I have to disagree with the whole tank size. I have a well established 29g long that I have had up for 6 years & my Linka has been in it for 5 of the 6 years. I think after 5 years it would have starved to death by now. I may be and probably am the exception to the rule but as far as having to have a huge tank I dissagree. My tank is a well established reef tank with alot of live rock but like I said it is still only a 29 long. (JMO)

Is that from arm tip to arm tip? That would be very small for Linckia in general. Linckia laevigata - the common blue Linckia in the hobby, gets up to a foot across, and I typically see them in an LFS easily stretching over the palm of my hand from wrist to fingertip.

Normally Linckia multiflora has some blotching...but it is considerably smaller (about 5" across), and much "hardier" in tanks like yours.

Has this ever "dropped arms" which is the standard method of reproduction?

That's gorgeous. Phataria, not a distant relative of Linckia but rather uncommon in the hobby. Your have the first I've seen (well, except for one dying at an LFS). Does that one take to any spot feeding that you have noticed?

The crazy thing is that I picked it up at my wholesaler in Miami. They said it was from the Sea of Cortez & they only recieved a half dozen. I snatched one up & took it home, I dripped it for about 18 hours till PH and salinity were the same 1.026. , 8.3. I went back 2 days later & everyone they had was necrosing & falling apart...I guess I'm just lucky & I take the time to acclimate them.

Well, seems rather much like a Protoreaster (several types in the hobby including the chocolate chip, Bahama, red African and general star). The colors of these guys can be exceedinly diverse and that is a particularly nice one. Is that in a reef system or no?

As for your the previous post, yes indeed...not so much luck as the care to properly acclimate.

Thanks, I took a gamble on this guy & though it's not in a total reef system it is in a tank with Ricordia, Xenia & other soft corals. It seems to scavange & takes meaty foods & so far so good with the soft corals. I don't think I'll roll the dice & put it in with my brains, acans, & echnopora.

about feeding, i feed mine chopped up octopus and a algae pellet here and there. laat week i brought 20kg of live rock and there was all these little worms on the surface of the live rock, there not dead because there still there but it seems my blue star fish is eating them.
blue star eating:
And here is the little worms